Don’t probe me alone, include Akume – Suswam cries out

Former governor of Benue State, Gabriel Suswam, says the ongoing probe should be extended to his predecessor, George Akume.
Suswam, whose administration is being probed by the current administration of governor Ortom, said including the tenure of his predecessor in the ongoing probe would give a better perspective into the matter.
He made the call in his official social media page yesterday, saying that as a two-term national lawmaker, he would have allowed time to reveal what he exposed in his post but because of the importance attached to the matter he decided to throw some light on a few issues.
“The debt profile figures of the state as released by the various committees failed to properly differentiate between figures inherited from the previous administrations and that accrued during my administration. It is therefore only fair to carry out a probe exercise with forethought,” Suswam noted.
The former governor also noted that the sincerity of the probe is in doubt judging from the people enlisted on the probe panel. According to him, apart from the Chairman of the Probe Panel, most of the panelists lack the moral grounds to assess his stewardship as they actively participated directly or indirectly to the running of the state between 1999 and 2015.
He also said the inclusion of the civil society, traditional bodies, religious leaders and even a youth wing will give more credence to the probe panel than what it looks like at the moment.
Suswam further stated, “While appreciating the apprehension these probes can generate in any society, I am constrained by morality to state my position for posterity and urge the public to be patient as the result will surely leave us better positioned to make more informed decisions as we move forward. Therefore, I urge that my observations are incorporated into the probe exercise as failure to do so will lead to the use of legal means to seek redress.”
The former governor also urged those who worked with him not to be discouraged by the probe, as time will surely vindicate their stewardship.
He asked for forgiveness from those he might have wronged in the course of his work as governor while he also said he has forgiven those who stepped on his toes in one way or the other.